


The 5 times Mycroft nearly got the courage to tell Greg and the 1 time Greg did..

by Cleoismymuse



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: M/M, mystrade is bae!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 06:38:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10714209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cleoismymuse/pseuds/Cleoismymuse
Summary: Just a "how they get together" Mystrade fic. A few awkward (and adorable?) attempts at romance..





	The 5 times Mycroft nearly got the courage to tell Greg and the 1 time Greg did..

******

Deductions..

Mycroft had always been able to deduce a lot about people, perhaps even more than Sherlock could, but his social success depended on him not showing off his ability. Most people didn’t want him to know the things they wouldn’t say but made it just too easy to deduce. 

He thought his difficulty in having any meaningful relationship was simply down to the fact he couldn’t switch his mind off..

He always knew the worst about the other party, knew the things he didn’t need to, things that they tried to hide..

By now, most people repelled him.

But Greg was different..

His face was rugged and yet not unlike a child’s; still hopeful, eager, expectant of good things.. 

Mycroft couldn’t quite see what a man so often in contact with his brother had to look forward to, but his bright, empathetic eyes and tired smiles were beguiling all the same.

He showed no signs of trying to hide anything, which perhaps was due to prolonged exposure to Sherlock, but Mycroft felt he had always worn his faults with as much confidence as he did now. Really, his honesty was what Mycroft respected, the type of unapologetic down to earth honesty one could only find in a man as well balanced as Gregory Lestrade. 

“Even the name rolls off the tongue pleasantly,” Mycroft surprised himself by thinking one day. It was so unusual for him to compliment someone, even within the confines of his mind..

Was it possible that he was attracted to someone, after all these solitary years..? He definitely was giving off all the signs he could pick up on in others.

More importantly, what was he to do about it?

******

Seductions..

1st incident

Greg huffed a tiny sigh of relief at the sight of Sherlock’s older brother walking towards the group at the former crime scene. He hadn’t wanted to spend another evening babysitting Sherlock while he gradually come down from his post-case adrenaline high. 

Since John had moved out, it was an uphill battle to keep Sherlock clean but, even so, Greg still thought it was worth fighting.

Clearly, Mycroft agreed. His pleasant but superficial smile only graced his features for a fraction of a second, but his eyes lingered on Greg even as he spoke to his brother.

“Brother mine, we both know you need to eat after a case.. Why not come for dinner with me this evening?”

It almost seemed as though he was addressing Greg with the dinner invitation as there was a hint of a smirk on his face when he finally turned to actively await Sherlock’s response.

Then again, Mycroft’s body language had never been easy to read so Greg waved the thought away with relative ease.. 

Though he couldn’t quite shake the thought of dinner with Mycroft.. Would it be formal? All suits and ties and fancy restaurants? Or simple and classy, similar to the well-tailored suits he always wore?

It seemed Sherlock didn’t care to find out as he came back with a surly riposte, so typical of him, but Mycroft persisted until he eventually got his brother to follow him to the black car idling patiently at the curb.

As Greg watched them leave, he couldn’t help feeling something had passed between the elder Holmes and himself, but he was stumped as to precisely what..

 

2nd incident.

Mycroft wasn’t sure what to say to DI Lestrade when he next saw him, feeling that the man must have been made uncomfortable by his near attempt at flirting. It was certainly uncomfortable for him to remember..

But Greg acted perfectly normal around him, which allowed Mycroft to forget his earlier embarrassing failure and instead focus on the man this was all about.

Greg was telling him about Sherlock, about his worries that it would take very little for Sherlock to give in to temptation, asking Mycroft what was the best thing to do to help his brother.

While he was genuinely worried about Sherlock, Mycroft couldn’t help himself from giving in to the romantic side of his brain which was sending itself into overdrive thinking about the touching way Greg cared for his brother.. (and the way he could care for Mycroft too, if he only played his cards right.)

What could he say to Greg, he thought in desperation. What did he really think would help his brother?

“You are a remarkable man, and your friendship to Sherlock has helped him more than you know.. Send him out on every case you can and you will help to save him from himself.. He respects you, more than he does me, so if he ever does appear to be using, please remind him of the list.”

With that he turned on his heel and stalked off silently, reminiscent of a cat after being shot at with a water pistol.

“..You are a remarkable man..”

Mycoft’s words were being rerun in both of their minds simultaneously, and Mycroft couldn’t help but wince as his clumsiness. What had he meant by that??

“What did you mean, my dear Mycroft?” thought Greg with a slight smile. “What makes me so remarkable to you..?”

 

3rd incident

This time, they bumped into each other at 221B. Sherlock was just telling Mycroft that he was far too busy for whatever new request he had, when Greg knocked on the door. As soon as he saw Greg, Sherlock changed his tune and brightened up in expectation of a case. 

Whirling around to face Mycroft, Sherlock smugly stated “See, Lestrade keeps me busy enough, I’ve no need of your petty problems. Go rig an election somewhere, why don’t you?”

With a sad but resigned smile, Mycroft stood up from the chair in the most elegant way it is possible to do such a thing, at least in Greg’s experience, and headed in the direction of the door.

Greg couldn’t let the opportunity pass, so he spoke up.

“I’m sure your brother’s case is more pressing than mine Sherlock, I can come back another time.”

“There’s no need, Greg, I’ve tried to reason with him..”

Mycroft smiled slightly and leaned a little bit closer than was usual as he passed Greg in the doorway of the flat.

“But thank you for trying.” 

The faint whisper of a breath ghosted across Greg’s neck as he passed, and it felt oddly intimate.

Even so, Greg couldn’t bring himself to mind. Whatever game Mycroft was playing, he was perfectly happy to play along..

 

4th incident

The sleek, black cruiser was idling at the curb and Greg barely hesitated before walking towards it and getting in. If Mycroft wanted to talk, so be it.. 

Greg could imagine a number of interesting things to talk about.

Of course, the topic, ostensibly, was Sherlock’s drug addiction. Greg was unaware of the full extent of his past addictions and Mycroft thought it was only fair to give him a heads up.

Well, that was his justification, anyway..

After much discussion of the nitty, gritty details of Sherlock’s past, they fell into a mutual, relaxed silence. After a few minutes, Greg felt it was necessary to say something that had been bothering him for a while..

“He doesn’t mean what he says, Mycroft. He does respect you, underneath all his jibes and insults, and who knows why he feels the need to keep making them..”

Mycroft smiled his sad smile, which twisted something Greg didn’t know he had stuck inside his gut.

“He has his reasons, Gregory. We did not have a typical childhood.”

“Mycroft, you couldn’t be a better brother to the crazy mess that is Sherlock..”

Greg smiled encouragingly at Mycroft and then suddenly bit his lip before blurting out “..But don’t tell him I said that!”

Mycroft smiled and lay a reassuring hand over Greg’s, which was resting on the car’s plush leather seat. The warmth of his soft hand and his grateful eyes made something in Greg’s stomach bubble over with contentment.

When he drawled “Your secret’s safe with me..” and winked, the spell was complete..

 

5th incident 

Mycroft hadn’t been to the yard for weeks, unable to face the man he was now harbouring an intense crush on. How could he have embarrassed himself with those corny words and gestures that felt so outdated and unattractive..? It hurt to even think about their meeting in the car.

Worst of all, it had all felt right at the time, so Mycroft could only conclude that he was a complete failure at flirting the only time he actually wanted to do so..

But it was inevitable that he would have to face Greg again, and now he had decided he was as ready to see him as he would ever be. More to the point, Greg had asked him to come for a chat about Sherlock and he could hardly refuse.

So, with a heavy heart and awkward limbs, Mycroft walked towards the office he knew was Greg’s, only to be met at the door by the man himself.

“I was hoping you’d come,” said Greg in his easy manner of speaking that made Mycroft feel dizzy with want all of a sudden. How he envied Greg’s ability to coast through life without overthinking every little action, the way he did.

He smiled nervously and cast his eyes downwards as he wordlessly followed the DI into his small, but comfortable office. It was unassuming and practical, so very typical of Lestrade that it felt almost intimate to be invited inside.

“So..?” 

Mycroft’s voice was too unsteady for him to safely utter more than a syllable and he felt mortified that he had so little control over his own body, especially after exerting it over other people, as his job generally required.

Luckily, Greg took this as an invitation to speak and started off on his stream of worries about Sherlock. Mycroft, for the umpteenth time, felt a huge rush of respect and love for the man sitting across the desk from him, who so clearly cared for his reckless little brother, and was not ashamed to show it. 

“Sherlock’s lost without John, Mycroft.. We need to find a way for John to move back in with him, or at least spend some evenings there to distract your brother from drugs..”

Then, after a beat “You know, I never noticed how infatuated he was before John left but lately Sherlock’s really been wearing his heart on his sleeve.”

“Oh?” 

It seemed like he was sticking to monosyllabic responses, Mycroft thought with a twinge of embarrassment. 

“Yes, it really would have paid off for him to open up before his love interest married someone else, you see.. You Holmes, you don’t do emotions very often, do you?” 

That was a tad impertinent, they both thought, but Greg hoped to coax some emotion from the mystery man he was trying so hard to read and so, justified it to himself. He was surprised by Mycroft’s honest response.

“We’ve never really made the effort to, no..”

In fact, Mycroft seemed to start deducing Greg as he spoke, judging from the jerky eye movements and his suddenly still hands, which had been twirling his trusty umbrella gently only seconds before. When he met Greg’s eyes afterwards, he seemed more self assured, more certain of something, and Greg so desperately wanted to know what conclusion he had just come to. 

However, just as Mycroft leaned forward slightly in his seat and started to form a word with his gently smiling lips, Sally burst in through the door and destroyed Greg’s chance to know the tantalising information.

“Attempted murder, and a suicide. It seems that a man stabbed his wife and then himself.. it’s nasty but there’s a good story in it, sir..” 

“I take it the woman’s alive?”

“Yes, and she swears he was high on something at the time, so we should investigate as if this were a drugs bust in my opinion, sir..”

“You think this will lead us to the pushers?”

“Well, it is a lead..”

Greg sighed and regretfully got up to leave. He smiled tiredly at Mycroft and addressed both Sally and him at once. 

“Well, I’ll have to investigate this personally.. Perhaps I’ll give Sherlock a call, yeah?”

He winked at Mycroft and tried not to chuckle at Sally’s disgusted sigh as she stalked angrily down the hall. As the DI brushed past Mycroft’s still seated form to follow her, he stopped on impulse to say something he’d often meant to.

“Please do tell me if there’s anything I can do to help, Mycroft.. I’m always up for helping one of the Holmeses..”

And even as he mentally kicked himself for his perpetual awkwardness, Mycroft mulled over Lestrade’s choice of words.. 

“..one of the Holmeses..”

It did seem like Greg wasn’t entirely disinterested then.. 

Or perhaps it was just a turn of phrase..

Whatever the reason, Mycroft walked out of the now empty office with renewed spring in his step.. 

Perhaps, he had a chance after all..

He resolved to try a little harder next time he felt like flirting.

******

Greg’s courage..

Greg had gone to the scene, which did help track down a few members of one of many of the criminal gangs that ran the drugs scene in London. While it had a satisfying end, Greg couldn’t quite feel sated without knowing whatever Mycroft had been planning to tell him.

Perhaps it was something insignificant, but Greg no longer thought anything was too small to matter when it came to the enigma that Mycroft presented to him.

“Next time..” he muttered into his pillow, as he rolled over and repositioned himself in an attempt at sleeping, “next time, I’ll tell him..”

Tell him what? some part of his conscious brain managed to wonder, but the rest of Greg’s mind had finally been lulled into sleep, so it remained unanswered.

In truth, Greg hardly knew what he felt, but he did think it was something.

The next time they met was unexpected. 

Sherlock was being chased by an armed man and unbeknownst to the police force’s team that was trying to keep up, Mycroft had decided that this was worthy of his personal attention. 

While Sherlock led his pursuer through a maze of alleyways and shortcuts, Mycroft and Lestrade’s teams honed in on his path. Then, all of a sudden, it became clear where he was heading.

“Oh, you always were a touch dramatic, brother mine..” Mycroft murmured in the cockpit of the helicopter he had commandeered for this particular chase. However, he was grateful for the opportunity to fire on the attacker that Sherlock’s actions would give him. 

So when DI Lestrade arrived on the scene atop Bart’s rooftop, and surveyed the carnage that had once been a threat to Sherlock’s life, he could only think of the enormous luck that Mycroft had protected his brother this time, as he easily could have been looking at a different body. 

Left to themselves, the police wouldn’t have been able to save Sherlock.

Breathless, and unsteady, Greg greeted the two Holmes brothers who were already back to their normal, bickering selves. Mycroft smiled softly at him while Sherlock just kept on going with whatever insult he was trying out this time. 

Greg just found it too much to bear..

“Sherlock, you do realise your brother just saved your life, don’t you!? Though why exactly is a bit of a mystery at the moment..”

Sherlock looked askance at Greg, unused to him defending someone else. Then he swept his gaze over him more carefully and raised an amused eyebrow.

“I didn’t know you thought so highly of my brother, Graham..”

His words were laced with innuendo and it frustrated Greg that Sherlock could belittle him so effectively without even knowing his name.

“It’s Greg, by the way..” he muttered as he turned away, not willing to endure where this conversation might go.

Mycroft returned Sherlock’s standard glare with one much more potent and threatening. Even Sherlock was surprised by his depth of emotion; in many years of provocations, they had rarely succeeded as well as this one had.

Except, it didn’t seem like much of a success at this point, as Mycroft’s expression was hurt underneath the anger. Feeling a little ashamed of himself, Sherlock tried to slink away, but Mycroft’s arm snaked out and held him still for a second.

“What did you observe, Sherlock?” 

Sherlock never thought he’d miss hearing Mycroft’s condescending “brother mine”, but at least condescension was not outright anger.. 

And what had he observed, really?

“His heart rate was elevated, his cheeks were slightly flushed, and his pupils were too dilated for these light levels.. at least, some of the symptoms of..”

But Mycroft had walked off quite briskly and seemed to be following Lestrade. 

“I will not run, I will not run!” Mycroft screamed inside his own mind as he tailed the man he was nearly certain reciprocated his interest as fast as one could while still walking in a dignified fashion.

Sherlock was rarely wrong, and while Greg’s red cheeks and heart rate could be explained by the exertion of the case, his pupils told a different story..

God, how he hoped Sherlock hadn’t made a mistake!

Mycroft and Greg were equally relieved to spot each other outside Bart’s hospital, where Greg had been calming himself down with the aid of a cigarette.

Mycroft’s casual “Mind if I join you?” was followed by a few moments of silence before Greg finally got together enough of his frazzled nerves to say it.

“Mycroft, you really did just save Sherlock’s life.. We wouldn’t have got here in time, you know that as well as I do, and..”

Greg turned to face Mycroft as he reached out and took his cigarette-less hand in his own before continuing..

“Well, he wont thank you, so I guess I will..”

And, with that, Greg closed the distance between them and pulled Mycroft into the kiss with his free hand, while he dropped the half smoked cigarette onto the pavement and ground it into the paving slabs with his heel. After only a few moments, the man pulled back and smirked at his very own police inspector. 

“Isn’t there a law against that..?” 

He gestured vaguely at the cigarette stub, before dropping his own and mimicking Greg’s heel grinding.

“Littering, or something..?” he continued with a wink.

“Well I guess we’re in this together..” Lestrade said in the lowest timbre he could manage before wrapping his arms around Mycroft’s surprisingly supple waist and pulling him close.

“You can say that again!” Mycroft managed to quip before giving in to temptation and claiming Greg’s delicious lips in a passionate and possessive kiss..

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! :) this is my first Mystrade fic so please tell me if the characters feel OOC. Also sorry for the lack of John, but his presence was not necessary to this particular story (and I could get carried away with Johnlock, you know how it is..)
> 
> Feedback is appreciated, please do tell me what you think. :)


End file.
